Soccer is the 2nd-fastest growing sport in America, with an extraordinarily diverse fan and player base that crosses genders, cultures, ages and income levels. The Greenville Triumph, the upstate’s pro soccer expansion team which was announced a year ago, began playing its 1st season April 6th at Legacy Early College, where they constructed a 4,100-person stadium around the pitch to utilize until they move to a permanent home. Team owners Joe Erwin and Shannon Wilbanks will share the latest on the team, community impact, the stadium, their award-winning coach (National Soccer Hall of Fame member John Harkes), and what they’re doing to help re-introduce Greenville’s historic west side to the upstate. Visit www.GreenvilleTriumph.com.

Joe Erwin is the co-founder and former president of national marketing agency Erwin Penland, which he and his wife Gretchen opened in 1986 with one employee, and grew to 400 staff in Greenville and New York with a roster of national and regional clients. In 2015, Joe left EP to open Erwin Creates, which operates downtown coworking destination Endeavor, supports Clemson University’s Erwin Center for Brand Communications, provides leadership and marketing consulting services to senior executives, and is now the lead owner of the Greenville Triumph pro soccer team.

Shannon Wilbanks is Managing Partner of Erwin Creates and Endeavor, and co-owner of Greenville Triumph Soccer Club. Shannon started her career with U.S Senator Fritz Hollings on Capitol Hill, ultimately returning home to SC to work with the Greenville Chamber President & Board, where she met Joe Erwin. Joe recruited her to Erwin Penland in 2000 to lead Business Development, and upon his departure in 2015, she became his business partner in creating Endeavor and the rest of this “next chapter.”